KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot on Foster Care Placement

On any given day, there are nearly one half-million children in foster care in the United States. The ideal result for these children is to be placed in a strong, supportive family over being placed in an institution or group home. New data available on the KIDS COUNT Data Center highlight the progress made by many states to increase the rates of children in foster care who are living with families. Child placement is the most critical issue facing public child welfare systems, and monitoring the trends is important in determining the focus and efforts of these systems.

In This Report, You’ll Learn

Key Takeaway

Over the past decade, the percentage of the foster care population in group homes has increased in only nine states.

Majority of state child welfare systems have reduced their reliance on group and institutional foster care settings over the past decade.

Findings & Stats

Decrease in Overall Numbers

At the end of 2009, there were 423,773 children in foster care in the United States, which was 22% fewer children than in 2000.

Relative Foster Care

Thirty-one states increased the percentage of their foster care population placed in relative foster care between 2000 and 2009.

Making the Right Choice

Placing children with relatives or other caregivers they already know reduces the inevitable trauma of being removed from their parental homes.

Institutional Settings

Youth who live in institutional settings are at greater risk of developing physical, emotional, and behavioral problems that can lead to poor outcomes and are less likely to find a permanent home than those who live in foster families.

Variety of Placement Settings

Placement settings include foster homes with relatives, foster homes with non-relatives, and group homes or institutional settings. The type of setting in which a child is placed has remained relatively unchanged at the national level.

Age is a Factor

In general, younger children are more likely to be living with families and older children more likely to be living in group homes or institutions.

Statements & Quotations

When systems fail to make good placement decisions for children, the work of either maintaining existing family connections or achieving new permanent families for these youth becomes more difficult. In these cases, children suffer, and the likelihood they will age out of the system to an adulthood marked by poor outcomes decreases.

The experience of being part of a family helps children who may have suffered from abuse and neglect understand what it means to be part of a safe and supportive home.